339 thoughts on “Game Thread: Reds at Padres (2013.07.30)”

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I realize the Reds are still in line for a playoff spot, but never once this season have I had the feeling that this team has “it”. Just don’t have the same feeling that I got from the 2010 team, or the 2012 team when despite Votto going down, other people got hot and carried the team.

This team seems just good enough to make the playoffs and then flounder. Horribly.

@kywhi: Realize he’s not lighting it up as we hoped based off of last season, but last I checked, Todd Frazier was an average hitting and above-average defensive third baseman. Not sure if it included tonight’s game, but look up Todd Frazier on Baseball Reference. He has a 100 OPS+. ZiPS still has him projected to finish the season with 3.6 WAR on Fangraphs.

I’ll take that from a second year player making $500k. So would a lot of major league teams I am sure.

Right now, this team’s offense is a joke. We see it, but you know who doesn’t? The decision makers. They think Ludwick coming back will make everything just peachy.

I have never before seen talent like this wasted by management. Dusty, Walt, Jacoby, now Hatcher (the baserunning coach), and the entire medical staff have torpedoed this season. The batters aren’t helping any either.

Unless Dusty is fired, a big trade is made, or Ludwick channels George Herman Ruth for two months, this team is toast and misses the playoffs.

@jessecuster44: Obviously the best starting pitching we have had in some time has gone to waste. I’m asking which of our offensive stars are going to waste. Votto continues to do well, but that’s to be expected. What others are going to waste?

@kywhi: Jay Bruce who’s having the best (most consistent) season of his career. He’s finally learned to hit opposite field and even when he went into a brief slump there for a bit, it was just a power slump, not a hitless slump which I think is a huge difference.

Choo is having probably the second best season of his career.

Devin Mesoraco is finally getting a lot of playing time and has responded well. In the last 30 days, he’s played 20 games and put up .294/.329/.441 which I will take from my catcher any day.

Combined with Votto, that’s some talent. They just lack leadership, or rather competent leadership. There also doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of motivation or competitiveness. Wouldn’t hurt to get a new manager/hitting coach and then get into a nice bench clearing brawl with the WLBs. Maybe that’ll spark the team. I think the talent is there, it’s just not working.

@jessecuster44: JesseCuster 44 mirrors my sentiments exactly. Counting on the return of Ludwick will not get the Reds to the playoffs. The waste is with the Cardinals losing six and the Reds gaining nada by losing five. Stuck in third place and six games out with eight plus weeks to go doesn’t look good. But if the front office will not shake up this team, then we’ll wait till next year.